Option 1: Get an External Drive
An external optical drive will allow you to access discs on your Mac. To do this, you’ll need to buy an external disc reader that plugs into your Mac via a USB cable. Such an external drive could read CDs and DVDs, play Blu-Rays, and even burn discs — if that’s what you want. You can leave a drive like this on your desk at home or take with you in your laptop bag.

Apple offers their own external drive known as the Apple USB SuperDrive. It plugs into a Mac via a USB cable and allows you to both read and write CDs and DVDs. It doesn’t have Blu-Ray support, so you’ll need to find another external drive if you care about that. Apple’s isn’t the only option — you can also buy third-party ones, and you’ll find many of them on Amazon and elsewhere.

If you have multiple Macs, such an external drive will allow you to plug it into any Mac you’re using, getting the benefits of optical disc support when you actually need it.

Option 2: Use Remote Disc Sharing
Luckily, it’s possible to use discs without buying an external drive thanks to the built-in Remote Disc feature. A Mac or Windows PC on your network can function as a server, and your Mac can access discs inserted into that server. The appropriate server software is included on a Mac, so you’ll just have to enable it. Apple also provides free remote disc server software for WIndows PCs. As long as you have another computer with an optical drive on your network, you can use its optical drive from your Mac.